Automatic radio program selector



May 15, 1934. v. F. Dr-:TwlLER ET AL 1,953,943

AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR Filed July 31, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l llorncy May 15, 1934,' v. F. Dx-:TwlLER ET AL 1,958,943

AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR Filed .my ls1, 195s 4 sheets-sheet 2- J nvchlors 4 i M@ naar@ Maca/77" E :efw//er qllorncy May l5, 1934.

Filed July 3.1. 1935 `/qllomey 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 4l5,l 1934. v

v. F. DETWILER Err/lu.y 1,958,943 AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR i v Filed July 31, '1953 4 Sheets-SheAet 4 qllomey PatentecluMay l5, 1934 AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR` Vincent F. Detwiler, Victor A. Detwiler, and John J. Doran, San Francisco, Calif.

Application July 31, 1933, Serial No. 683,080

4 Claims.

Thisinvention appertains to new and useful improvements in mechanism for automatically selecting radio programs, and the principal object of the present invention is to provide a program selector wherein means is provided inthe form of a selector disk operated by a clock mechanism for automatically selecting the stations at a predetermined time.

Other important objects of the invention reside in the particular form controlled means for the selectingr mechanism and in the selecting mechanism itself, as well as in other details which will be made plain in the following specification.

In the drawingsz- Figure 1 represents a rear elevational view of. a radio apparatus equipped with the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a vertical sectional view through the radio receivercabinet, showing in side elevation the present invention.

Figure 3 represents a rear elevational view of the switch operating disk or geared sub-dial.

Figure d represents a sectional view taken substantially online 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 represents a sectional View taken substantially on line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 represents a top plan view of the time controlled selector disk.

Figure '7 represents a cross sectional View of the selector disk shown in Figure 6 and the time controlled turntable or carrier, showingl one of the rods or fingers vin station selecting position.

Figure 8 represents a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper end of one of the rods or fingers.

l Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, that numeral 5 represents a radio receiver cabinety having the front wall a, side walls b and a horizontal partition c therein for supporting thel instruments of the receiver which include the tuning condenser shaft 6 and .the radio switch 7. Supportedabove this partition cI is an electric motor 8 driving a shaft 9, which 'A shaftV is splined and slidable through the armature of the motor 8 and carries a pinion 10. The forward end of this shaft 9 is held in place by means of the retainer pin 46 in the cylinder 11 which has a spiral grooveA 12 in the periphery thereof. Numeral 13 represents a shaft extending through the front wall a of the. cabinet 5 and this, at its rear end, is squared, as at 14,

' in Figure 5, and disposed into a corresponding opening in the cylinder 11 by which cylinder 11 is slidable on the shaft 13 land by rotating the shaft 13 by the handle 15, the cylinder 11 can be rotated and as the arm 16, projecting from the motor 8, has a lug 17 bearing into the groove 12, it becomes necessary for the cylinder 11 to move longitudinally and this obviously serves for (Cl. Z50-20) shifting the pinioi'rlO. At the same time, the shaft 9 contacts the lever 48 connected to the bail 43, which bail is plvoted in the frame 27. The bail 43 contacts the beveled shoulders 42 on the rods or fingers 21 and lifts the ngers 21 to a locked position, thus disconnecting the mechanism from the receiver so that it can-be operated manually.

As is clearly shown in Figure 2, numeral 18 represents a large disk or sub-dial having gear teeth 19 with which the pinion 10 is engageable.

The rear side of the disk 18 is laid oif in circles 20 concentrically arranged and equally spaced apart, corresponding in number to the number of fingers 2l employed, said fingers 21 being equal to the number of stations to he tuned in on the program selector disk 32.

Starting with the innermost circle 20, an arcuate-shaped slot 22 is provided and on each succeeding circle 2() is another slot and each succeeding slot is substantially longer than the slot on the preceding circle, so as to overlap it.

As is clearly shown in Figure 4, a stud 23 is provided for each of the slots and each stud is provided with a reduced and threaded extension 24 which is positioned through the corresponding slot. These studs 23 can be secured in adjusted position against the rear side of the disk 18 by binding a wing nut 25 of the threaded member 24 of the stud against the front side of the disk. Thus the studs can be predeterminedly arranged for operation against the one-way triggers 26 on the upper end of the aforementioned fingers 21. These triggers 26 can move downwardly, but each is provided with a stop 26 which prevents it from pivoting upwardly.

Figure 1 clearly shows an inverted U-shaped frame 27 which has the aforementioned fingers 21 slidable through openings inthe bight portion thereof and each of these fingers 21 is provided with a pin 28 adjacent to its upper end between which and the bight portion of the frame 27, a coiled compressible spring 29 is interposed for normally tending to drive the finger 2l downwardly. The lower end of each of the fingers 21 is provided with a beveled head 30 which rides in the corresponding pathway31 on the surface on selector disk 32, which pathway may be at or grooved. In preparing this disk 32, which is ordinarily laid off for twenty-four hours by the radial divisional lines 33 and into the different stations by the circular pathwaysV or grooves 31, slots 34 are cut for predetermined time intervals between the hour readings along the desired station pathways or grooves 31.

Obviously, when one of these slots 34 reaches one of the finger heads 30, the corresponding spring 29 of this nger or rod 21 on which the head 30 is located, impels the head through the slot 34 of the selecting disk 32, which disk is carried by the carrier and this carrier is in turn rotated by a suitable clock mechanism 36 which can be set by the controls 37, front or rear.

When the rod 21 drops, a formation 38 on this rod strikes against the toggle bar arrangement 4"!` between the motor switch and the radio switch 7, so as to cut on the motor and the radio set.

The toggle bar 47extends the full width of the frame 27 so that all of the formations 38 on the fingers 21 contact, but do notiasten to it. The connecting bar 39 joins the toggle bar 47 and radio switch 7. The elongated hole 44 connects slidably to the toggle of radio switch 7.

With the motor 8 energized, the shaft 9 will be rotated and the gear 10 will rotate the sub-dial 18 until the corresponding stud 23 strikes against the lowered rod trigger 26 at the bottom side thereof, which results in the partial lifting of the rod 21. At the same time the lug 38 recedes from the toggle bar 47 so as to permit the tension spring 45 to open the motor switch 40. The radio switch 7 remains closed by means of the elongated hole 44 in the connecting bar 39.

As the end of the slot 34 in the disk 32 reaches the beveled head 30 of the finger 21, this linger is raised from the slot by cam action. As it reaches its normal position on the surface of the selector disk 32, the radio set is cut oiI-by means of the switch 7, also by means of the tension spring 45, the elongated hole 44 in the connecting bar 39 having been taken up in the previous partial lifting of the finger 21. Should another nger 21 drop into another slot 34 before the previous linger is returned to normal, the second nger would cause the motor 8 to be energized so as to shift the condenser shaft 6 to the new position, at the same time allowing the radio set to remain on.

A disk, such as is shown in Figure 6, can be prepared for the days program by cutting the proper slots 34 therein. After placing this disk on the turntable or carrier 35, which can only be placed correctly thereon because of the irregularly positioned studs 49, for which perforations in the disk 32 are provided, the mechanism will then be ready for operation. s.

The specification of the present invention herein describes the operating mechanism for a radio receiver in which the condenser shaft 6 is free to .rotate a full revolution, or 360 degrees. In a radio receiver in which the condenser shaft 6 is limited to one-half revolution, or 180 degrees, a reversing switch for the motor 8 can be provided, said switch to be operated by the studs on the sub-dial 18 tripping the reversing switch toggle at the end of veach 180 degree sweep of shaft 6.

obviously, u a 1s desired to disconnect the selecting mechanism from the radio set, 'the handle 15 can be rotated and set to maintain the shaft 9 retracted with the gear 10 disengaged from the disk 18 at the same time the bail 43 locks the fingers or rods 21..

While the foregoing speciication .sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that various adaptations and numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new iss- 1. In combination, a carried by the radio tuner. a sub-d'al said tuner and provided with adcentrically located circles spaced equally apart, a time mechanism controlled turntable, a replaceable selector disk, said selector disk being f provided with a plurality of circular grooveways -equal in number to the number of protuberances placeable selector disk, said selector disk being provided with a plurality of circular grooveways equal in number to the number of protuberances on the aforementioned sub-dial, slide rods, each slide rod being provided with a head engageableV by a corresponding protuberance on the sub-dial, a second head on each rod for riding engagement in the corresponding grooveway of the selector disk, said disk being provided with predeterminedly arranged slots therein corresponding to time periods, a motor for driving the said tuner and a switch operated by the rod for controlling the said motor.

3. In combination, a radio tuner, a sub-dial carried by the said tuner and provided with adjustable protuberances thereon arranged on concentricallylocated circles spaced equally apart, a time mechanism controlled turntable, a replaceable selector disk, said selector ldisk being provided with a plurality of circular grooveways equal in number to the number of protuberanceson the aforementioned sub-dial, slide rods, each slide rod being provided with a head engageable vby a corresponding protuberance on the sub-dial,

a second head on each rod for riding engagement in the corresponding grooveway of the selector disk, said disk being provided with predeterminedly arranged slots therein corresponding to time periods,'a motor for driving the said tuner, aswitch for controlling the motor, a radio receiver switch, and singular means on the said rod for controlling the said switches simultaneously.

4. In combination, a radio tuner, a sub-dial carried by the said tuner and provided with adjustable protuberances thereon arranged on concentrically located circles spaced equally apart, a time mechanism controlled turntable, a replaceable selector disk, said selector disk being provided with a plurality of circular grooveways equal in number to the number of protuberances on the aforementioned sub-diaL'slide rods, each slide rod being'provided with a head engageable by a corresponding protuberance on the subdlal, a second head on each rod -for riding ensagement in the corresponding grooveway of the selector disk, said disk being provided with predeterminedly arranged slots therein corresponding to time periods, a motor for driving the said tuner, a switch operated by the rod for controlling the said motor, and manual means for dfsconnectingthe said motor from the tuner.

` JOHN J. DORAN.

VICTOR A. DEI'WILER. VINCENT F. DETWILER. 

